The Paper Plane Podcast

Today we’re joined by my dear brother, comrade, and friend, Virak Saroeun. He and I met in 2008 when when his life-partner, Liza and I TA’d a Raza580: Educational Equity Course with Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade as grad students at SFSU. When Liza introduced us I immediately knew this was someone I wanted to be friends with, as someone who shared so many of the same loves for music, DJing, Hip-Hop, crit...

Today Colin is joined by his dear sister, comrade, and beloved friend, Pamela Chavez. The two met a little more than 2 decades ago at UC Santa Cruz via mutual friends, and came together due to their love for art, music, activism, liberatory education, and being hella f------- silly together as they made the path by walking it. She is someone C has and continues to admire and learn profoundly from,...

Today's guest is Colin's dear sister, comrade, and peer mentor of over 15 years. Today's guest and Colin met at San Francisco State University as Graduate student Teaching Assistants for Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade in his Raza 580: Educational Equity course. They became fast friends and also fell in platonic love with each other’s partners, Virak and Em shortly after. They formed a powe...

In today's episode, Colin sits down with his brother and award-winning filmmaker and storyteller Tadashi “Tad” Nakamura—someone whose work has given voice to untold histories, specifically from an AAPI perspective, and whose lens has always been guided by both craft and conscience. For this conversation, we’re grounding ourselves in two remarkable books: Mike dela Rocha’s Sacred Lessons: Teac...

Today’s guest is someone Colin has known for  close to a decade. They were both Teachers and Deans at sibling schools in Richmond, CA; she at Aspire Richmond Technology Academy Elementary, and Colin at Richmond Cal Prep 6-12. The two were also members of an Asian American & Pacific Islander Affinity Group, where they got to know each other and build community with other AAPI Educators in Aspir...

Today’s guest is someone Colin had the pleasure of meeting over a decade ago, as a grad student in USF’s Urban Education and Social Justice M.A. Teaching Program. Dr. Patrick Camangian introduced the two and today's guest shortly after became Colin's cooperating and Mentor Teacher at a Leadership 6-12 in Richmond, CA. Since then, they have and continue to bond over teaching, music, and a...

Today Colin sits down with someone he met close to 2 decades ago, when a mutual Mentor– S/O Hodari Davis–connected them during the time he was an After School Intervention Program Coordinator for the non-profit, Making Waves in San Rafael, CA. Today's guest taught a DJ’ing enrichment course that their then 3rd to 8th grade students absolutely adored and his cool, calm, collected, and inquisit...

In this episode, Colin sits down with someone he has known for over 2 decades and is absolutely beloved to him. The two met at UC Santa Cruz-Oakes College (OAKES!) in 2000 as freshmen, were Residential Advisors in their Sophomore and Junior years, and became especially close during Senior year, while studying abroad in West Africa, at the University of Ghana-Legon in 2004. They have witnessed up c...

In today’s episode, Colin sits down with his dear brother of close to 3 decades. The two met on the local basketball court in 6th grade via their mutual childhood friend, Ronnie Lang, to whom they dedicate this episode to, as a loved one who heartbreakingly passed from cancer a little over a decade ago. On the hoop court in the Richmond Annex as kids, they were affectionately known as “Asian Steve...

In today’s episode, Colin sits down with his a dear friend and Mentor that he met over a decade ago, in the University of San Francisco’s 'Teaching: Urban Education & Social Justice' Master’s Program. Whether schlepping him across the Bay Bridge to graduate seminars or connecting him with brilliant veteran Educators like Amy Crawford and Dana Moran at Berkeley High School’s Communica...

Today’s guest is someone Colin had the very fortunate privilege of meeting at San Francisco State University over 15 years ago, when both were pursuing Master’s Degrees in the College of Ethnic Studies. As Teaching Assistants in Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade’s " Raza 580: Educational Equity" course and the East Oakland Step to College Program at Fremont High School with Jeff and Dr. Patrick “C...

As a now middle-aged Dad with chronic back pain, today’s distinguished guest is someone Colin has known, in the words of the poet and philosopher, Earl “E-40” Stevens, since he "was knee-high to a caterpillar’s toenail.” This interviewee is someone Colin met as an undergrad at UC Santa Cruz in Oakes College (OAKES!), and has been inspired by up close when organizing with People’s Education Mo...

In this episode, Colin sits down with his former student/mentee, current colleague, fellow Richmond-CA-raised-May-Gemini, BDay twin of his first-born child, someone he considers family, and whom he lovingly refers to as his “Young Mentor.” Janet Muro Vera, M.Ed discusses the anthology, "This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color" (1981), edited by 3rd Wave Feminist Sc...

In today's episode, Colin sits down with his dear colleague, comrade, friend, and Pedagogical Sibling, Professor Lisa Ang, to discuss two groundbreaking novels in the realm of Asian American and post-colonial literature. Tess Uriza Holthe's novel, When the Elephants Dance (2002) is a powerful encounter with the forces ofJapanese and U.S. imperialism--and resistance to them--in the Philip...

In today's episode, Colin discusses the Hernandez Brothers’ groundbreaking comic book series, "Love & Rockets" with his dear friend, chosen family, and someone whose wedding he was honored to officiate (despite being given insufficient information as to what it should entail), veteran Educator, student advocate, dark humor/dog-lover, and jack-of-all-trades, Mr. David Galvez.  Da...

In this episode, Colin sits down with his dear Sactown/Bay Area sibling, (who goes by the pen name) YD Hawkins, to discuss "Capital" by Karl Marx, and it's impacts on his life and identity as an Artist, former Labor Organizer, and Social Worker.  YD Hawkins is a bay area social worker, thinker, and poet.  Over the years he has served as a union organizer, youth trauma response speci...

In today's episode, Colin sits down with his inaugural guest and cherished partner/spouse/co-Parent, Artist and Educator, Emalyn de la Rama Lopez (she/her/siya), to discuss Palestinian Author/Essayist, Adania Shibli's novel, "Minor Detail."  Centering this short (105 pages) yet tremendously powerful novel that Em chose to have our discussion on today, we discuss the following t...

The Paper Plane is a podcast created and hosted by Educator and Artist, Colin Ehara, where he interviews people he is blessed and honored to share community with, to ask them about a books that have had a transformational impact on their lives. In a society where literacy rates are steadily declining and a growing number of podcasts hosted by cishet men, un/consciously champion expressions of masc...